(P14-018-23) Longitudinal Changes in Body Weight, Body Fat, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Following a Health Screening Among Obese and Non-Obese Male Firefighters

Objectives: Obesity and comorbidities (e.g., heart disease) are highly prevalent among firefighters. The current longitudinal study assessed changes in body weight and fat among firefighters who self-reported making diet and/or physical activity (PA) changes over a 9-month period.

Methods: Body weight, height, body fat percentage (BF%), and self-reported behavioral measures (diet and PA) were collected from 311 male firefighters at baseline and nine months post-baseline

Results: Body weight, height, body fat percentage (BF%), and self-reported behavioral measures (diet and PA) were collected from 311 male firefighters at baseline and nine months post-baseline. 67.8% of obese firefighters and 41.8% of non-obese firefighters reported making a diet and/or PA behavior change (ꭓ2(2,348) = 22.1; p< .001). Obese firefighters who made a behavior change showed significant reductions in body weight (2.1 kg) and BF% (1.2%). Non-obese and obese firefighters not making diet and/or PA changes saw a significant increase in body weight (0.6 kg) and BF% (1.2 kg). Weight and BF% did not change significantly in non-obese firefighters who made diet and/or PA changes. Total fat, cholesterol, and saturated fat intake were significantly decreased by 3.9 g, 14.3 mg, and 1.4 g, respectively, in obese firefighters making a diet and/or PA change. No significant changes were observed in these dietary parameters among the other groups (e.g., obese, no diet, and/or PA change). Minutes of PA and minutes of sedentary time per week did not change significantly in any group.

Conclusions: Obese firefighters were more likely to make beneficial changes in their dietary intake in response to feedback from health surveillance. These dietary changes coincided with reductions in body weight and BF%. Future studies focusing on other biomarkers are needed to inform these findings.

Funding Sources: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.